Websites are constructed using two different methods and as might imagine there are distinct advantages and disadvantages of both methods. We are assuming that the website will include a Content Management System in both cases.
<h3>Websites Constructed from Modules</h3>
Your website and content management system (CMS) is built from pre-fabricated modules which are then stitched together by your web designer. The final website is then tweaked to meet your requirements and the public facing web pages are styled to match your company brand image.
Advantages: This is a very quick and easy way to build a website. It does not take a lot of skill as the hard work is already done for you.
Delivery times: Since there is not much work to do, this should be fast, around 2 weeks.
Costs: so should be very cheap, for a fairly comprehensive website expect to pay less than £2000.
Disadvantages: The website will be slower to download because there is a lot of un-used code in the modules.
You do not get a solution that fully meets your needs, since the solution is based on pre-fabricated modules and it does what it does. The CMS will be a one size fits all and will be much more difficult to use.
The solution is not flexible, if you want to make a change you may have to scrap it and start again.
<h3>Bespoke, Hand coded Websites</h3>
Your website and content management system (CMS) is built from scratch to meet your exact requirements. Your web design company will go into detail of exactly what you want on each page before starting to build it. Each page will be individually designed by a graphic designer and hand coded by an Internet programmer.
Advantages: You get an exact solution that will meet your exact business needs now. It will be flexible enough to be tweaked and changed for many years without needing a re-build for very little cost.
The website will be faster to download and work more effectively with the search engines. The CMS will be extremely easy to use.
Delivery times: A fairly comprehensive website will take around 8 weeks to deliver.
Costs: Up to £10,000 for a fairly comprehensive website.
Disadvantages: Initial cost. It takes specialist skills to create a fully bespoke, hand coded website.
<h3>Which website do I need?</h3>
If your website is important to your business, you need a fully bespoke, hand coded solution. This give you a solution best matched to your business and aspirations for your website. The flexibility means you can take advantage of opportunities as they arise without having to scrap your website and start again.
In the long run this solution gives you a more cost effective solution with better performance and no need to every scrap and start again.
If your website is not really important to your business then the cost saving of a cheap, modular based website is a very attractive option - look at your competitors though.
If your website is important to your business, please give us a call on 0844 375 0742 for a costed proposal for your fully bespoke, hand coded website.